Data storage devices enable users to store and retrieve data. Examples of data storage devices include volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. A non-volatile memory may retain data after a power-down event, and a volatile memory may lose data after a power-down event. An example of a non-volatile memory is a flash memory.
A data storage device may store control information associated with data. For example, a data storage device may maintain a management table that indicates a mapping of logical addresses to physical addresses.
In some implementations, a management table is maintained in a volatile memory of a controller of a data storage device. The data storage device may update the management table at the volatile memory and may periodically send the management table to a non-volatile memory of the data storage device (e.g., to “back up” the management table).
Updating and backing up a management table uses resources of a data storage device. For example, certain flash storage devices may “block” operations to update a management table while the management table is being stored to the non-volatile memory, reducing throughput. If certain operations to the non-volatile memory are not “blocked” while the management table is stored to the non-volatile memory, a “race” condition may result, such as a race condition between storing of the management table and updating of the management table. In some circumstances, such a race condition may result in inconsistent data due to modification of the data during a write operation. Such an inconsistency may reduce performance of a data storage device, such as by resulting in “lost” data.